Operations and Maintenance Support: Montréal Centre for Structural Analysis by X-Ray Diffraction

X射线与物质的相互作用使人们能够在原子细节上探测其基本结构。X射线衍射自一个世纪前被发现以来，一直是结构分析不可缺少的工具，并在科学、工程和医学的各个领域得到了广泛的应用，这些领域的进步需要深入了解结构和性能之间的关系。因此，X射线衍射在许多方面改善了人类的福利，例如通过创造更好的材料、更好的药物、更环保的化学过程，以及更充分地理解生物起源的复杂结构的作用和行为。出于这些原因，蒙特雷亚尔大学将卓越的学术研究作为首要任务，并在该领域保持了40多年的国际领先地位。在此期间的持续努力取得了以下显著成果：(1)创建了蒙特利尔X射线衍射结构分析中心，该中心提供了一套世界级的7台现代衍射仪，可用于进行几乎任何不需要同步辐射的X射线衍射实验；(2)安装了世界上第一台商用金属喷射仪器；(3)吸引和留住了一支由三名X射线衍射专家组成的有才华的工作人员，他们在维护设备、分析结构和培训新研究人员方面有70多年的经验；(4)向数百名学生教授X射线衍射学，培养出该领域的新一代专家，他们担任大学教授、同步辐射光束线科学家和世界各地主要X射线衍射学设施的管理人员；(5)提供开放式设施，使其设备和专业知识随时可供加拿大国内外的学术和工业研究人员使用；(6)在过去五年中，为来自多所大学和工业研究中心的70多名有才华的科学家提供服务，他们需要获得最先进的X射线衍射学设施，以保持其在各自领域的国际领先地位。中心目前的衍射仪采购主要由加拿大创新基金会提供资金，魁北克政府和工业界也提供了补充资金，中心运营的部分财政支持由UDEM、用户以及其他来源，如NanoQuébec和魁北克自然与技术研究基金会以平衡的方式提供。总的来说，X射线衍射仪中心的工作人员、仪器和用户构成了具有国际重要性的独特的加拿大资源。迫切需要NSERC的支持，以弥补其他来源的资金短缺，并确保该中心能够留住其工作人员，妥善维护其设备，并继续向加拿大各地的学术和工业研究人员开放访问。

The interaction of X-rays with matter allows its underlying structure to be probed in atomic detail. X-ray diffraction (XRD) has been an indispensable tool for structural analysis since its discovery a century ago, and it is used intensively in all areas of science, engineering, and medicine where progress requires a deep understanding of the relationship between structure and properties. XRD thereby improves human welfare in many ways, such as by leading to the creation of improved materials, better drugs, greener chemical processes, and a fuller understanding of the role and behavior of complex structures of biological origin. For these reasons, the Université de Montréal has made excellence in XRD a top priority and has maintained a position of international leadership in the field for over 40 years. Sustained effort during this period has yielded the following notable results: (1) Creating the Montreal Centre for Structural Analysis by X-Ray Diffraction, which provides a world-class set of seven modern diffractometers that can be used to perform virtually any XRD experiment not requiring synchrotron radiation; (2) installing the world's first commercial metal-jet instrument; (3) attracting and retaining a talented staff of three XRD experts with a combined experience of over 70 years in maintaining equipment, analyzing structures, and training new researchers; (4) teaching XRD to hundreds of students and producing new generations of experts in the field, who hold positions as university professors, synchrotron beamline scientists, and managers of major XRD facilities throughout the world; (5) providing an open-access facility that makes its equipment and expertise readily available to academic and industrial researchers throughout Canada and abroad; and (6) serving over 70 talented scientists from multiple universities and industrial research centres in the last five years, who need access to state-of-the-art XRD facilities to maintain international leadership in their fields. Acquisition of the Centre's current diffractometers has been funded largely by the Canada Foundation for Innovation, with supplementary contributions from the Government of Québec and industry, and partial financial support for operating the Centre has been provided by in a balanced way by the UdeM, users, and other sources such as NanoQuébec and the Fonds de recherche du Québec-Nature et technologies. Collectively, the staff, instrumentation, and users of the XRD Centre constitute a unique Canadian resource of international importance. Support from NSERC is urgently needed to compensate for shortfalls in funding from other sources and to ensure that the Centre can retain its staff, maintain its equipment properly, and continue to provide open access to academic and industrial researchers throughout Canada.